- Now you're probably wondering..."guardian duck"? Well, this has to do with something I saw on one of my regular walks through downtown Cuyahoga Falls. I was at High Bridge Glens Park and on my way down the overlook ramp I see this duck perched on the railing near the top of said ramp which you can see in the upper left hand pic. It was like it was guarding the ramp from intrusion. I was able to bypass the duck going down the ramp but as I was coming up it started staring me down. The duck let out one of those Howard the Duck-type "WAUGH!" calls at me as I was trying to pass by it. I wish I had taken a pic of the duck doing that but oh well. Anyway, I left the park and came back a few hours later and, sure enough, the duck was still perched there. It was one of the weirdest observations I've made on my walks in a long time and rather funny. It's one of those things where you had to be there.
- Speaking of those walks, I'm finally getting out of the house a bit more because the weather has finally started to cooperate here in NE Ohio. We've been getting a steady dose of 70's and sun the past couple weeks or so with more to come and I couldn't be more happy.
- Regarding the NFL Draft and the Cleveland Browns, this is the second year in recent memory that there hasn't been all that much to talk about. They took one of the players I'd hoped that they'd get in the first round in OLB Barkevious "KeKe" Mingo. Outside of that, they only picked 4 more players (including a 7th rounder who just got arrested for DUI in the last few days) as they already picked Josh Gordon in last year's supplemental draft and traded their 4th and 5th round picks this year for 3rd and 4th rounders in next year's draft. A lot of people wondered why they did that especially since it seemed like a strong draft, but I don't think they understood that it was too strong in positions where the Browns already had good depth and was light on the positions they needed to fill this season. Next year might be a different story especially with a couple more draft picks along with the usual number of picks all teams get and possibly more players to fill needs, but until the end of next season I'd have to give a grade of incomplete for now.
- As most of you know, I've been in a holding pattern for some time now and probably will be for the foreseeable future waiting for the next major transition in my life whenever or however that happens. While thinking about that, I started thinking about the last time I had such a really major transition which was in late 2003/early 2004 as I transitioned from being a clubgoer at the Harry Buffalo in Akron while barely maintaining a website named "DJ Online" on an old computer to a returning student at The Ohio State University working on finally getting my degree. Something I never told anybody was that I kept a daily journal from July of 2003 to May of 2004 (my last entry in that journal was 9 years ago this very day) chronicling that entire period of my life. I recently took a look at that journal to see if there was anything I could take from it for whenever I make my next transition. I'm amazed at how much some things and thoughts have stayed the same even now and how some things have changed whether it was for better or worse. A good portion of the journal was me blowing off steam, whining, complaining, putting down my frustrations and doing so repeatedly over and over at several points. That journal was the first time I put really raw stuff and thoughts I had in writing and I didn't hold back. A lot of stuff I did regarding that journal (content, how I wrote it, etc.) still serves as a backbone for how I do DJRT today. I'd like to share the big thoughts and events I put in that journal here in this edition...things that stand out to me even today though it happened so long ago. Just keep in mind when reading this stuff that it happened about 10 years ago and a lot of you have seen changes in some of that stuff since. With that in mind, here are the notes from that time:
- July 23, 2003 - I saw a story about a polar bear who turned purple apparently due to medication. I saw the picture and immediately thought "the Care Bears are real!!!"
- July 25 - I was at the Harry Buffalo. I was talking with a girl named Shauna when an acquaintance of mine, Shannon, came over and proclaimed me "her bitch" thinking it was funny. It was not. Because of that Shauna took off. Shannon really pissed me off pulling that crap.
- August 4 - An old neighbor from down the street whose son once bullied me stopped by the house to "check" if our boat was for sale even though there was nothing indicating that it was. It was creepy which might explain a few things about that family.
- August 8 - I swear, every time I hang out with my friend Darryl something strange always happens around us. (Note: This Darryl is from Akron) Anyway, I danced with this hot girl named Natalie whom I would have made a play for if she wasn't so damned drunk that I had to keep her vertical half the night. It doesn't help that I'm painfully shy around women either but the drunk stuff turned her off to me tonight.
- August 14 - The "Great Blackout of 2003" happened today around the northeast US and some of Canada. The library and the house had power, thank God, but everywhere else was dark. There is a lot of traffic confusion out there. I went to help Bob out when the blackout hit his place.
- August 15 - At the club, there was this pushy Ray Lewis-lookalike nicknamed "Johnny Cage" who was trying to get people to do line dances but was only turning people including myself off when he was doing so. I apparently broke my glasses tonight as well which frustrated me even more. (Note: Johnny & I had it out about his antics later on and we settled our differences soon after)
- August 19 - I took a road trip to Columbus today to take some state civil service exams for some jobs near Akron. After the exams I drove by the old Bourbon Street club now named "The Big Easy". I made a stop at the Sears at Polaris Mall and saw a couple of old co-workers from the now-torn down Sears Northland. It's the first time I've ever seen a nicey-nice mall in the state of Ohio.
- August 22 - I worked a volunteer shift at the NEC World Series of Golf today at the concession stand. I saw Tiger Woods play a bit and got a PGA hat for my mom for her birthday. I made some small talk with co-workers and mentioned that I didn't complete my college degree. They were openly pitying me and wondering why I didn't finish which bugged the hell out of me. (Note: The events of this day were the imptus for my return to Ohio State)
- August 25 - I made my first real inquiry into returning to college wherever I was going to go. I started by looking into possible grants and scholarships.
- September 20 - I made the club trip to Bourbon Street/The Big Easy in Columbus with Darryl and Stan. The trip went beyond my expectations and theirs as well. I reconnected with several of my friends in Columbus and got their contact info. Our transportation broke down on the way back to Akron but that was the only real low point of the trip. Everybody else in the crew should have come down with us because they missed out on a ton. (Note: Here is the old Myspace entry talking about that trip: This week in history...)
- September 25 - I'm in!!! I got the official confirmation that I was going back to Ohio State starting in January. I still have a few things to square away but I'm back in. It's the best news I've received in years!
- September 27 - I went down to Bourbon Street once again, this time with a lot more people. It was another wild night there but I was really tired because I'd been up all day already.
- October 11 - On yet another trip down to Bourbon Street (they're starting to be a regular thing, apparently...the crew really likes it here), I saw this girl named Amy who I dated for a few months back in 98 before she admitted to cheating on me. She attempted to pull a revisionist version of history on me but I wasn't having it. She looked like she really declined in more than one way from when she looked hot way back then. I believe I really dodged a bullet here.
- October 30 - Trick-or-treat night only brought about ten kids to the door total...more candy for me! I saw Lawrence and Rachelle for the first time in a while. I worry about Rashana and hope she's doing alright with the stuff she's have to deal with right now.
- November 28 - I got a heck of a deal shopping here on Black Friday on a scanner for my parents' computer. It only cost $10 but I had to wait in line with other people behind this completely indecisive customer talking with an idiot cashier for close to an hour. That's Black Friday for ya!
- December 3 - My uncles Larry and Mendel came over. I hadn't seen them in a long time. I discovered Mendel had become a grandfather recently.
- December 10 - I finally got the OSU housing stuff taken care of in person at Ohio State and found out I was going to live in what used to be a frat house on 15th Ave. I also went to Easton and Polaris to do some Christmas shopping before returning to Akron.
- December 13 - I had to drive Stan's car back from Columbus because he hurt his right ankle pretty badly and he couldn't drive. It took four hours to drive back to Akron because of the huge snowstorm that popped up on the way back.
- December 17 - I went to Hilarities for the third stright night to watch Stan get hypnotized again by comedian J Medicine Hat and to also make sure he was alright afterward. I hope he doesn't get banned from the city of Cuyahoga Falls for stuff he said and did under hypnosis on stage in front of the mayor of the Falls who was in the audience tonight. (Note: I don't remember what he actually said or did under hypnosis but I do remember it was hilarious at the time)
- December 27 - I finally got a cell phone to use in Columbus. That is the last thing I needed to pick up before packing up and heading down to Ohio State.
- January 2, 2004 - I'm finally back at Ohio State! I made a few calls once I got settled to people I hadn't taked to in a long time including Roger Byrd for the first time in about 3 years and Andrea in Cleveland. I also watched the OSU Buckeyes football team win the Fiesta Bowl with some of my new housemates. What a great way to start off a new year! I start classes on Monday (the 5th).
- January 21 - I went to see Spike Lee at the Ohio Union this afternoon. He seemed way too much into his own opinion on things but it didn't seem to matter to the rest of the audience. They seemed so easily dazzled by his celebrity status, coming off almost...zombie-like. It was very disconcerting. It didn't help that he evaded a question I asked him which he may have thought was a trap.
- January 22 - Griff stopped by to practice a dance routine to a song by Usher that hasn't been released yet. (Note: That song was "Yeah" by Usher and Lil' Jon before it was the huge hit it became later on)
- February 1 - My roommate Zarak moved out and got his own room in the house. I now have this huge room meant for four all to myself. (Note: This is the last time I had a roommate while at Ohio State)
- February 13 - I applied for a volunteer on-air position at KBUX today. It's the first work-like position I've gone for in a long time even though it's only a volunteer thing.
- February 19 - I went to see the movie "Eurotrip" with my friend Elisabeth at the Arena District movie theatre in downtown Columbus. It was interesting hearing her insights about what happened in the movie given she was from Holland. She seemed amazed by apparently how much they got Europe right nin the movie despite it being a comedy. The movie itself was funny as hell. The walk back to OSU took about an hour when we couldn't catch a bus that wasn't full.
- March 4 - I watched a short play I wrote for Theatre class being performed about having to write a play for a Theater class. I was going for some irony and surrealism in my script which wasn't lost on the teacher or the class.
- March 10 - I went to the old comic book store across from the campus I used to get comics at the first go-round at OSU for the first time since I got into an argument with the owner eight years before. I talked with him about what happened back then and we settled things. It eased my conscience big time to be able to put that behind me as it had haunted me from time to time.
- March 18 - I took my last final for the quarter. I found out that I got a B in my Theatre class which I could only have achieved by acing my final. That really boosted my self-esteem to know I was capable of doing something like that.
- March 29 - My spring quarter kicked off with a JCom (Journalism & Communication) class.
- April 2 - I finally got the computer I've been putting together from parts over the last week or so finally working correctly. I just hope it doesn't go on the fritz again. I'm crossing my fingers on that.
- April 6 - I got a call from Dennis back in Akron that a mutual friend of ours, Tim, passed away last week from a quickly-spread infection. With all the mutual friends Tim & I supposedly had, I'm wondering why Dennis was the only one to tell me about it. I have a ton of questions about some folks now. On top of that news, I'm also now searching for my missing housemate Amber who hasn't been seen since I saw her at Morrill Tower the day before. Apparently the same song had been playing over and over in her room over the last day or so and I was the last one to actually see her. Elisabeth and I visited several places she supposedly frequented but couldn't find her anywhere. I'm getting real worried about her. (Note: We found out the next day that Amber was safe in the hospital and getting the help she needed)
- April 10 - After last night's entry, things took a 180 degree turn for the better. My housemates surprised me with a birthday brownie and a Justice League DVD. I almost broke down in tears because I was so low and lonely before that. I also went to a birthday party for me, Al and Marcus this afternoon. I had a decent time with them and the Corporation there. However, at the bowling alley later on that night, I did have some anxiety from stuff in the past when a few of them brought up things that apparently bugged them about me. It really killed my mood.
- April 22 - I started my first "DJ Show" on KBUX tonight. It went alright but I'm still trying to find my voice. While watching TV earlier today I saw my friend Stan on the Ricki Lake Show. I was shocked because I didn't expect that whatsoever.
- April 26 - I went to see Judge Joe Brown at both the Hale Center and the Ohio Union. He is a very lively and dynamic speaker despite his laidback-ness on his TV show.
- May 4 - I found out I'm going to be moving to Jones Tower instead of Morrison over the summer. That place holds a lot of good memories for me...not school-wise but socially it was awesome for me the last time I lived that.
- Speaking of those I've lost touch with, there were several people that I hung out with in Akron either at the Harry Buffalo or at Banana Joe's/Margarita Mamas that I haven't heard all that much from in years and have been curious as to what they've been up to since back in the day. I met them during my time in Akron between my stints in Columbus, between 1999 and 2003. Now, I going to do something I don't normally do and list some of those people here in the event and hope that they might want to contact me. I'm not going to actively contact them especially since many of them may have probably moved on with their lives but I do wonder from time to time how they are doing. I don't have all their names and some of them I don't remember their last names, but here are the people I'm curious about: Lawrence Hatcher, Steve Wisdom, Nuresea, Darryl (not to be confused with my friend in Columbus), Roger Booth, Jason Spencer, Rachelle, Rashana, and Dennis Gutendorf. Like I said, this is not going to be an active pursuit of mine but if any of them are interested in contacting me or talking to me I'm open to it since I'm back in the area again. They were some great friends to me back then and I am curious what they're like today.
- Last year around this time my friend Cory Pariseau released his first book "Standing at the Crossroads". He has written another book called "40 Days of Cause and Affect" (the spelling is intentional) that is being released soon and he is taking pre-orders for that book. If you are interested in Cory's next book, check out the new website dedicated to the book here to find out more and to order it: 40 Days of Cause and Affect.
- On August 17th, Tallmadge will hold it's annual Circle Festival and Light Parade. This year my old drama teacher and friend of the family Frank Chaff is putting on a theater production about some of the people and events from Tallmadge's history. He's looking for some people to act and work on the production (about 20 to 30 people) as well as seeking ideas for some ideas for the vignettes that have strong Tallmadge connections. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll try to put you in touch with him.
- Recently one of my old favorite soaps, One Life To Live, came back into existence as an online hlf-hour show. I've missed it since it left ABC but I'm happy it's back. If anyone else is interested in watching the latest episodes of the new One Life To Live, here's the link: One Live To Live on Hulu.
- Song on Repeat: "Alright" by Kris Kross. Last week, Chris Kelly AKA "Mac Daddy" of that rap duo passed away last week. This song is how I am marking his passing (which makes this blurb a Peaceful Journey entry as well). I liked Kris Kross' early stuff but I liked this song best. This came out a few years after "Jump" and when their backward clothing style was first popularized. Rest in peace, Mac Daddy.
- Shoutouts: Kristin, Debbie, Shaun C., Bob, Lynn, Micah, Todd, Laura, Ernest, Holly, Tony C., Aunt Sue, Cheryl, Stan, Tom R., Griff, Maggie, Al, Terry B., Carl, and Paul W.
That's it for this time out. You might see me out and about a bit more this summer as I'm gonna try to get out more that I have. I don't know where or when but I'm hoping to be out more. On that note I take my leave. Until next time, folks. Take care and God Bless.
DJ
